Academic Support Center

(406) 657-1641
www.msubillings.edu/asc

The Academic Support Center provides services to support the academic success of students of MSU Billings and the College of Technology through developmental level Math, Reading, and English courses; Learning Labs, tutorial assistance; and workshops.  Students with disabilities should be directed to Disability Support Services.

See the senior campus Academic Support Center web site at www.msubillings.edu/asc and the COT Academic Support Center web site at www.msubillings.edu/asccot for detailed information about the centers and the programs provided.

Developmental Courses

The Academic Support Center offers a number of courses designed to help students succeed in their academic programs.

English

WRIT 095 Developmental Writing [formerly ENGL 100 English Essentials] Reviews basic grammar with emphasis on sentence structure and mechanics.  Also presents basic writing considerations, especially paragraph organization and development of the multi-paragraph essay.  Placement by student’s request or by results of Writing Placement Test, SAT, or ACT and by faculty recommendation.  Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements and do not fulfill Academic Foundations requirements.  Credits not applicable to English major or minor.  However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid.

Mathematics

M 061 Basic Mathematics [formerly MATH 085 Math Fundamentals] covers pre-algebra concepts involving terminology, fractions, decimals, percent, ratio and proportion, measurement, geometry, and statistics.  Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements nor fulfill Academic Foundations requirements.  However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid.

M 090 Introductory Algebra [formerly MATH 101 Introductory Algebra] covers introductory algebra concepts involving terminology, exponents, operations on rational numbers, multiplication of polynomials, and basic factoring.  Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements and do not fulfill Academic Foundations requirements.  However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid.

M 095 Intermediate Algebra [formerly MATH 105 Algebra for College Students] reviews elementary algebraic concepts and covers more advanced factoring, operations on rational expressions and radical expressions, quadratic equations, the rectangular coordinate system, and exponential and logarithmic functions.  Credits do not apply toward graduation requirements and do not fulfill Academic Foundations requirements.  However, the credits do count towards enrollment status for financial aid

Reading

RD 101 Reading Improvement for College Students Provides instruction and practice in applying active reading strategies, improving comprehension in content areas, demonstrating critical thinking skills in responding to individual content area reading assignments, and increasing vocabulary to improve academic success.  RD 101 prepares students for the demands of college-level reading.  Course earns academic credit but does not count toward Academic Foundations, a degree, or certification.

College Success Strategies

A&SC 101 College Success Strategies orients students to the expectations of college-level study and provides basic strategies for success as a student.

Learning Labs

A Learning Lab for students is available in the Academic Support Center building on the senior campus and in room A035 at the College of Technology.  The Learning Labs provide tutoring space, study group tables, and computers for students’ school-related assignments.

Tutoring

The Academic Support Center offers tutoring in math, writing, reading, and other general education subjects in the Learning Labs at both campuses, as well as program-specific tutoring at the College of Technology.

Writing Tutors
Academic Support Center tutors provide tutorial assistance for writing assignments in all classes.  Tutors help students at any stage of the writing process, from topic selection to final proofreading, but will not proofread, edit, or write work for the students.  Tutors also help students master grammar and mechanics, research-writing formats and procedures, and many other writing skills.  Handouts and other reference materials are available at no charge.

Math Tutors
Academic Support Center tutors provide tutorial assistance for students taking any 100 or 200 level math or statistics course, as well as specific higher level courses.  The Learning Lab is staffed with instructors and student tutors who have majors in a variety of disciplines.  Tutor responsibilities include helping students to understand mathematical concepts and assisting with homework problems.

Specialty Tutors
Based on student need, tutoring in other subjects is available in the Learning Labs.  Program-specific tutoring, such as in anatomy, drafting & design, automotive services, and computer applications, is available in the Learning Lab at the College of Technology.

Online Tutoring
Online writing tutoring is available for students through the Academic Support Center.  Students can submit papers as email attachments to writelab@msubillings.edu, and a writing tutor will review the paper, add comments, and return the paper.

Workshops

The Academic Support Center provides workshops on specific topics, such as APA writing style and graphing calculators.  Workshops are based on student need and vary from semester to semester.